"English artist William Roger Snow was [a member of the Royal Army and served] in detachments to the Crimea, Hong Kong, Great Britain, Canada, and Ireland. Influenced by his stay in Hong Kong he published his first work, Sketches of Chinese Life & Character in 1860…Snow's army career was ruined in 1875 when he abandoned his wife and duties [following an affair with an Irish actress] and disappeared rather than be transferred by the embarrassed British military. For the next several years Snow lived in England under the alias Clifford Merton. He produced a prolific amount of work during this time, both as an author and illustrator of adult and children's literature…Sometime between 1880 and 1881 his formerly abandoned wife discovered his identity as Clifford Merton. After further scandal and subsequent divorce, Snow/Merton once again disappeared and changed his name to Richard André…In addition to writing and illustrating his own books, André eventually branched out into the photography and printing industry and became a successful businessman." (Source: Richard André Papers, University of Southern Mississippi)